Fewer non-critical patients visiting Hong Kong public hospital A&E departments after fee increase

The number of non-critical patients seeking medical help at public hospital emergency units saw an 18 per cent drop after a fee increase in June. But the Hospital Authority said more data would be needed before reaching a conclusion on whether the June 18 change, where the charges increased from HK$100 to HK$180, had truly been effective in reducing the number of patients with less urgent cases and easing the workload of medics. “We didn’t make any conclusion on whether the fee rise...